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Miracles

by Brandon

Let’s talk about miracles.

Before I get rolling, let me say up front that I’m nobody special. I don’t know anything. This is simply how I choose to see miracles. While I hope you find some value in this blog (even if it’s just that you were entertained by my idiotic ramblings) I don’t consider myself an expert on miracles. Your opinion on it is just as valid as mine, even if your opinion is that I’m totally full of crap.

So here we go…

We often get so hung up on the cause of miracles that it becomes impossible for us simply appreciate them.

What caused the miracle often becomes more important to us than the fact that the miracle happened.

“It’s a miracle! It’s a miracle from God!”

“That’s not a miracle from God. It’s Karma. It’s proof that what goes around – for good or bad – comes around.”

“Uh, no. It’s not God and it’s not karma. It’s pure chance. Incredible coincidences happen every day in this world, and this one just happens to be awesome. Other coincidences will happen that aren’t awesome. Such is life.”

Now, I bet in reading that, you fell into a camp. Maybe it’s one of the three I mentioned above or maybe it’s a belief I haven’t mentioned. Or maybe it’s a combination of camps or some innovative idea about physics.

I’m not going to say which camp I fall into (because it really doesn’t matter), but I fully admit that I do fall into a camp on this topic.

You know what was missing from my example?

The miracle.

The event that caused the speculation in the first place.

I don’t know about you, but I often get so caught up in the “why” that I forget to just appreciate the “what.”

I’m working on being better about that… I’m trying to loosen my definition of a miracle. Instead of trying to decide whether or not a miracle happened, I’m working on just appreciating that something good happened.

And you know what I’ve discovered?

I see miracles like that kid on The Sixth Sense sees ghosts.

They’re everywhere. They happen all the time.

Let’s say something good happens.

No, screw that. Let’s say something great happens.

Some people are going to believe that great thing was a gift from God. I think that’s fantastic.

Other people will see it as good deeds coming back to them. I think that’s great.

Some folks will see it as the result of hard work and preparation. I think that’s a wonderful way to look at it.

And still others will see it as a combination of random events that resulted in a great outcome. Rock on with that belief, I say.

I’m cool with any viewpoint on the subject because why it happened isn’t nearly as important as the fact that it happened at all.

Today I’ve noticed more miracles than I can count. I fully admit it’s all just a matter of perspective and my definition of a miracle doesn’t fit what the dictionary calls a miracle.

I don’t care.

To me, they’re miracles.

On my personal Facebook feed yesterday, at least 90% of the posts I saw were people wishing other people well. If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what else to call it.

I fall in love with my wife at least a dozen times a day. Sometimes, it’s because she spouts off some smartass comment that makes me laugh out loud. Sometimes, it’s because she smiles in just the right way. Sometimes, it’s because she fixes me a cup of coffee even though I didn’t ask for one. Whenever something like that happens, I’m thrown back to the day I married her and I fall in love with her all over again.

To me, experiencing something that wonderful is totally a miracle.

Every time someone posts a great review of one of my books, the joy (and relief) I feel is downright miraculous.

I tell stories. People read those stories and tell other people that they’re worth reading.

Miracle.

My friends have the incredible ability to say things that make me laugh so hard it hurts. I seriously laugh so hard it sometimes causes me physical pain.

Having friends like that… totally a miracle.

My family embraces love and laughter like Captain Kirk embraces every good lookin’ alien he meets.

Miracle.

Don’t get me wrong here. Bad crap happens. Hard days come and when they do, I don’t take it like some monk on a mountain. I whine more than I should and I get a chronic case of “why me.”

But this particular blog isn’t about the bad things. It’s about recognizing the good things, which often happen at the same time…

Miracles are real.

They happen every day.

It’s not a matter of knowing where to look.

It’s a matter of knowing how to look.

So what about you? How many miracles have you seen today?

If you’ve not seen any, I recommend you look again.

Today is a great day for spotting miracles.

And if we’re lucky enough to have a tomorrow, it’ll be another great day for spotting miracles.

You want proof of miracles?

You stuck with this blathering blog all the way to the end.

I think that definitely qualifies.

– Brandon

P.S. I’ll get back to my goofy stuff next time. Like I mentioned in my last blog, Christmas is kind of a big deal for me, so I tend to get philosophical.